1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to ultrasound systems, and more particularly, to ultrasound systems and methods of detecting a pressure applied to an object through an ultrasound probe.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since ultrasound systems have noninvasive and nondestructive characteristics, they are widely used medical treatment for obtaining information from an object. Such ultrasound systems are very important in the field of medical treatment because they may provide medical practitioners with real-time high-resolution images of internal organs of an object without performing a surgical operation by directly incising and observing inner parts of the object.
An ultrasound system uses an ultrasound probe to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and to receive an ultrasound signal (i.e., an ultrasound echo signal) reflected from the object. Also, the ultrasound system generates an ultrasound image corresponding to the object by using a received ultrasound echo signal.
In general, the ultrasound probe transmits an ultrasound signal to the object while contacting a surface of the object and receives an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object. Therefore, since a force (i.e., pressure) applied by a user is applied to the object through the ultrasound probe, strain may occur in the object, and thus, the ultrasound image may be distorted.